1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to new and improved eyeglasses comprising attachment means on the eyeglass temple pieces for the practical, readily removable attachment of the non-rigid support means of non-rigid face masks, for example conventional surgical masks or the like, to the eyeglasses to support the mask therefrom, thus removing the stress of mask support from the ears of the wearer; and to the combination of the eyeglasses and the thusly attached and supported mask.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although the support of face masks from eyeglasses is known in the prior art, the same will generally be seen to be directed to the support of essentially rigid, impervious face masks taking, for example, the form of plastic face shields or the like, wherein the mean for attaching the mask to the eyeglasses are included in the face mask support means, which are normally of essentially rigid, somewhat mechanically complex and bulky configuration, rather than being formed on the eyeglasses independently of the mask support means; it having been determined in accordance with the teachings of my invention that the inclusion in the non-rigid support means of conventional surgical masks, which generally take the form of simple elastic ties, of attachment means to practically and readily removable attach the same to a pair of eyeglasses to support the mask therefrom, rather than to loop the elastic mask support ties around the ears of the wearer to support the mask therefrom in conventional manner, would be extremely difficult and, in any event, would add materially to the cost of the surgical mask which is of course disposable.
With more specific regard to the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,039 to Dietrich discloses the attachment of the rigid support means of a rigid impervious plastic mask 112 to the temple pieces 200 of a pair of eyeglasses 202 by hooks or spring clips 103 which are included as parts of the mask support means and which extend over the eyeglass temple pieces 200 to attach and support the mask 112 therefrom; it being immediately clear to those skilled in this art that the hooks 103 are not formed on the eyeglass temple pieces, and that the mask 112 is by no means a conventional surgical mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,753 to Viesca y Viesca discloses the attachment of the rigid support means of a rigid impervious plastic mask sheet 10 to the lens frame 28 of a pair of spectacles 26 by rigid mounting clips 20 which are screwed to the mask sheet 10 and extend over the lens frame 28 to attach and support the mask sheet 10 from the spectacles 26; it again being immediately clear that mounting clips 20 are not formed on the eyeglass temple pieces, and that the mask sheet 10 is by no means a conventional surgical mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,340 to Johnson discloses the attachment and support of an essentially impervious, except for vent holes 18, rigid plastic mask sheet or face shield 11 from a pair of eyeglasses 31 through use of a rigid clip portion 13 which is snap fitted into the mask shield 11 and extends over the bridge portion 34 of the lens frame of the eyeglasses 31 to attach and support the mask sheet 11 therefrom. Replacement of the mask sheet 11 is apparently made possible by removal of the clip portion 13 from the eyeglasses 31, the removal of the mask shield 11 therefrom and the replacement of the same by a new mask shield; although this is made somewhat unclear by the statement at lines 8 and 9 of column 3 of the Johnson specification that "The clip portion 13 is a permanent part of the face shield 10 . . . " Clip portion 13 is not, in any event, formed as part of the eyeglasses 31, and is not located on the temple pieces thereof; while mask sheet 11 is again not a conventional surgical mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,573 to Landis discloses the attachment of the essentially rigid visor support means 16 for a rigid, impervious plastic mask shield 26 to the temple pieces 11 of a pair of eyeglasses 12 by the extension of the temple pieces through slits 24 in the visor 16 to support the mask shield 26 from the eyeglasses. Clearly, the slits 24 in the visor 16 are not included in the eyeglass temple pieces 11, and the mask shield 26 is not a conventional surgical mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,887 to Paoluccio discloses the attachment and support of a rigid, impervious plastic clear lens shield 1 and net-like head cover from the temple pieces of a pair of eyeglasses 6 by spring loaded clips 2 which are fixedly secured to the lens shield 1 by double coated, pressure sensitive high tack adhesive tape 3. Again, the spring loaded clips 2 are clearly not included in the eyeglass temple pieces, and the lens shield 1 is not a conventional surgical mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,023,523 to Grimball discloses the formation of closed eyelets Tb or open eyelets Tc on the rear ends of the temple pieces T--T of a pair of eyeglasses for the attachment of hooks b of an elastic band B, or a simple elastic band B', respectively, thereto to prevent the eyeglasses from falling from the head of the wearer. Clearly, neither of the closed eyelets Tb, or the open eyelets Tc which open forwardly relative to the eyeglass frame F, would be effective as a practical matter to attach the closed elastic ties of a conventional surgical mask to the Grimball eyeglasses for the support of the mask therefrom; and this observation would apply with equal force to all of the face mask or shield attachment/support means as disclosed by the other patents of the prior art as discussed in some detail directly hereinabove.